Laico El Farouk Hotel Bamako

... of Canadian politeness as I dove to rescue our relatively tiny backpacks from a certain crushing.<br> And after a very friendly luggage verification, we were again welcomed to Mali and thrust into the pitch black Malian night to that scourge of all travellers- the dreaded taxi tout. Imagine our surprise when they actually seemed very helpful and coordinated- we were directed to a mud field that was surrounded by a stick ...

... withstood the 50 mph + winds with a blanket to cov** their eyes from the sand for US. Amazing. Toughest men I have ev** met. <br><br>4) North Mali-Gao (aka 'The Sahara')- Tough living. Turbans make sense. I would have one too if I lived th**e. Sandstorms come on a dime. Huts have metal closures for window cut outs and door frames (115 degree heat and no AC btw...) to protect against the sand. Agriculture more challenging th**e. Close to the ***** bord** and not many tourists ...

... influence and religion is just another layer. Bamako is truly an inspiration to the muslim world! As a woman, I was always respected, treated fairly and never felt unsafe. Crime is virtually non-existent and the city while economically poor but socially rich. <br><br>In the end, one word sums up my experience in Mali - Endurance. Endurance of the heat, the noise, the dirt and the grime. Endurance of the women, who are the engines of the economy, carrying babies on ...

... good to eat after it had been spit roasted for a few hours. Went to the Diplomatic Bar, which should've had Mali music being played by a live band, but it was actually spanish salsa. Plus a mini birthday celebration for me tonight.<br><br>16th - Spent the day being lazy before heading off to find a supermarket, walked quite a distance before finding a small one.<br><br>17th - Left early and headed for Sevare. Stopped for lunch in Segou ...

Well, we are on our way home. This trip went much fast** than I would have ev** imagined. It seems like we just blinked and we are back on the plane. I am v**y glad to be going home to my family but wish I could do more to help the people of Mali. When this journey is done, it will be 39 straight hours of travelling to reach home. It started out aft** we left Koutiala this morning aft** breakfast. We then stopped in Segou at the market to buy ...

... yet to hear any music. The big excitement is that Cheick, is getting married! What a nice welcome home gift from his family...WOW! Anyway, they should be headed to Kita, Cheick's hometown on Friday...n'shallah. Hopefully, he will get his wish and be immersed in music upon his arrival. More later I hope! Laura

... a few of the laws and regulations. Thankfully they w**e allowed to go with cam**a and memory card still in tact. Aft** a delicious dinn** of savory pancakes (good work Oliv**, T**esa and Kelvin) we ventured off to the campsite bar and enjoyed watching Chelsea win 2-1... or rath** I enjoyed watching Chelsea win... the oth**s w**en't so happy. During the day the oth** truck had arrived so they too joined in the drinking. Aft** a bit we decided to venture into ...

... entretanto as dikas acumularam-se a tal ponto que ja atravessei mais 4 fronteiras. Adorei essa cidade e tenho certamente muito mais a contar, mas vou deixar as imagens falarem um coxe e vou me lançar na escrita dos proximos posts, mais de actualidade. Cultura geral : Lingua maioritaria no Mali é o Bambara e nessa lingua Mali significa Hipopotamo e Bamako costas de caimão. Ta-se ? Tamos juntos. Kambé !

... terminé en question de quelques secondes. Pour lui remercier je lui ai passé la collection de films que se trouvât sur l'ordinateur et je lui ai appris quelques petites astuces sur l'internet, notamment sur des sites et des logiciels dont il n'avait pas encore entendu parler ou bien qu'il ne maitrisait pas. Avec lui j'ai aussi battu un record d'attente. Le lendemain de notre première rencontre je suis allé m'asseoir pour l'attendre devant le cyber où on s'était connus ...

... line in London, in a heatwave.   And the plastic covered seats were beginning to get a bit hot and sweaty. About an hour before sun-down, we passed into beautiful savannah country. With the sun falling, the ground looked particularly red, the grass and trees particularly green and the turqouise birds were more striking than ever. We passed small villages of a few hundred mud-houses with thatched rooves. The women and children in the fields would stop ...